iOS Safari: Address spoofing vulnerability

Through a vulnerability in WebKit in the mobile version of Safari, an attacker could manipulate the address bar in the browser and lead the user to a malicious site with a fake URL showing above it. The security researcher David Vieira-Kurz has published an advisory which explains the problem. Incorrect handling of the URL when the JavaScript method “window.open()” is used allows an attacker to “own” HTMLand JavaScript code in the new window and, in turn, change the address bar of the window.

The research demonstrated the vulnerability at majorsecurity.net/html5/ios51-demo.html – a “Demo” button opens a new page that loads in apple.com borderless iframe and also displays apple.com in the addressbar, but the page itself has originated from majorsecurity.net. Fraudsters could use the vulnerability for phishing attacks by sending users to pages which appear to be their bank and asking for account data.